At least two people were arrested after a protest turned violent in Portland on Nov. 2.
Local, county, and state law enforcement officers confronted the group of about 100, which went to Portland State University and broke windows at a Starbucks before trying to burn it down.
“Individuals smashed windows and poured flammable liquid inside the business. Officers interrupted a potential arson,” the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in an incident summary.
At least two people were arrested, according to the Unified Command, which is comprised of the sheriff’s office, the Portland Police Bureau, and Oregon State Police.
Authorities identified the two as Kaiave James Douvia, 22, and Connor Austin, 25. Douvia was booked on criminal mischief, burglary, and disorderly conduct charges while Austin allegedly interfered with an officer.
Items seized from the pair included a tire iron, body armor, and gas masks.
The group also smashed windows at the university’s Public Safety Office, a hall, and a student union.
The Starbucks is connected to a building that houses students.
Rioters in Portland have repeatedly set or tried to set buildings on fire, assaulted law enforcement officers, and looted businesses since late May.
Some are linked to Black Lives Matter or Antifa, a far-left, anarcho-communist network of groups that promote and engage in violence.
Members of the crowd chanted “[expletive] corporations” and “[expletive] your windows just before police officers arrived, according to video footage captured at the scene.
Another member of the crowd threatened to spit on police officers.
Agitators pressed journalists and others filming the events to stop, a common tactic for Portland demonstrators in recent months.
One Twitter account said the university was targeted because “universities are capitalist and colonialist institutions.”
Portland State University is “an institution that has, as others have noted, covered up sexual assault, done nothing to address multiple murders of Black [people] at the hands of its police, etc.,” the person wrote.
His tweet thread was shared by the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Youth Liberation Front, an Antifa-linked anarchist group that has helped organize and promote riots in Portland.
Portland State University President Stephen Percy said in a letter to the campus community on Tuesday that he was “disappointed and disheartened” to learn of the damage when he woke up.
“We will clean up from last night’s incident and move forward. While damage to property can be repaired, my larger concern is the damage done to our community. This kind of vandalism impedes our important work in educating students, conducting research and supporting student life. We deplore the impact of these actions on our community,” he said.
Portland Mayor and Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, said in a statement earlier Monday that law enforcement has been working for weeks to ensure the city has adequate resources to protect the community on and after the Nov. 3 election.
“Given the heightened concerns about potential violence, particularly from white supremist [sic] organizations and the divisive rhetoric from Washington, D.C., the need for coordination and partnership takes on statewide significance. Oregon is likely to be a flashpoint,” he said.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, told reporters at a Nov. 2 press conference that the Oregon National Guard may be called in to quell violence that could erupt on election night and later in the week.
Brown also re-established the Unified Command to deal with election-related unrest.
“We stand here today urging all Oregonians to commit to non-violent expression,“ Brown said. ”We can all do our parts this week by staying calm, cool, and collected.”
